Utilizing Educational Cartoons In The School System | Education

By RickLondon
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School-aged and college kids today are smarter and more worldly than my own 60's generation. Obviously, as many of us (now adults) have learned, we have much to learn from them.

Graduation is not the same as being "born again". There is no bright light tunnel-to-heaven glowing light experience. It is a very long process of day in and day out learning of skills through books, socializing, and other experiences.

Modern day education's origins are from the Greek word "educare" which means "to draw out". The ancient Greeks felt that the child already had the seed of knowledge in them, and a good educator simply spent time drawing that knowledge out, rather than pushing it in. Many, but of course not all, of today's educators are ego-driven and have forgotten the real meaning of education and use their teaching platform as a pulpit to share how very smart they are. This is how we can immediately sense a progressive teacher, that is, one who understands educare, as opposed to one who does not.

Kids are also a bit more cynical, question authority, aware of their environment, and more often than not, are on the same stage as the teacher. They do not look at the classroom as some kind of "mystical experience" as our generation did. Many of them look at it as a part of their day, and understand they are going through a process that helps them reach adulthood. Most of us, at least in my circle, hadn't really a clue as to why we were there. The idea of "so we could go to college" was instilled in our minds, but we really didn't understand the meaning of the value of that.

Distractions are paramount in today's schools. They can drive a rift between student and teacher. Children of today, like us, have shortcuts to knowledge, same as we (adults) do, such as the Internet. So it is not a surprise when the student is more updated than his or her instructor on a topic.

One thing that kids still have in common that they have had for generations is they enjoy humor, at least most. Many progressive educators are using educational cartoons to "lighten up the learning process" and even major textbook publishers are utilizing such cartoons in their books. They know that kids tend to be more visually than verbally-oriented. A picture draws their attention. A funny picture draws their attention even more.

What has been proven to bond teacher and student is humor, especially in the form of cartoon. It can change a student, and even a teacher's attitude about the learning process. It has a powerful bonding effect as well.

The feedback we are getting at Londons Times Cartoons is very positive from both the school system and the textbook publishers. They often purchase the rights at a very low fee to use cartoons on ever topic from biology to pet care. They tell us it really makes a difference and I believe it.

About the Author

Rick London and his team of artists have been creating cartoons in various topics from law to science to animals to medicine for over a decade Londons Times Cartoons School System & Textbook Publishers Using Cartoons To Enhance Learning By Londons Times Cartoons

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